Woodford Reserve Kentucky Straight Malt Whiskey
A tasting event for Woodford Reserve’s latest whiskey expression.
During Derby week, I had the amazing opportunity to visit the Brown-Forman suite at Churchill Downs for a day of bourbon and horse racing. Seriously, who could turn down that combo?
The Woodford Reserve Suite at Churchill Downs. Shop the Draper James Throw here.
The tasting event was held on the Wednesday before Derby, a day which I hope never gains a nickname as "cute" as Thurby, and which still retains the charm of a locals' day at the track. As Woodford Reserve Master Distiller Chris Morris and Assistant Master Distiller Elizabeth McCall poured cups for tasting, we learned that a group of bourbon media professionals had been assembled for the first tasting of Woodford's new Kentucky Straight Malt Whiskey, a product which will be available for purchase in some markets as early as next month.
If you ever have the chance to attend a Woodford Reserve whiskey tasting, you owe it to yourself to participate. The Woodford team puts so much care into the details -- whether they're doing the signature flavor wheel food pairing exercise or a comparative whiskey tasting, as we experienced on this occasion. Mr. Morris took care to explain that all four expressions in the brand's whiskey portfolio -- Woodford Reserve Bourbon, Woodford Reserve Double Oaked, Woodford Reserve Rye, and Woodford Reserve Malt -- were comprised of the same three grains: corn, rye, and malted barley and are bottled at 90.4 proof. Of course, the percentage of grains in the individual mash bills as well as the special finishing process in the case of Double Oaked are what produce such distinct flavors in the different distillates.
We started with the original WR expression, the bourbon as a baseline spirit for tasting. We followed with my favorite expression in Woodford's portfolio, Double Oaked. The Double Oaked is traditional Woodford juice that, upon maturation has been finished in a second charred oak barrel. This produces more of the sweet caramel notes for which the brand is famous. I love this one as a sipping whiskey or as an after-dinner "dessert" drink, as it has prominent brown sugar notes; it's sweet without ever becoming cloying.
Next on the tasting menu was Woodford Reserve Rye. This one is Bob's go-to cocktail whiskey; it makes a fine Manhattan, sour, or Old-Fashioned. It's peppery and earthy, but doesn't enter into the high-rye herbaceous "bite" that so many ryes often display. We consider it the "house whiskey" of HerKentucky Headquarters; I love the idea that this rye whiskey is made from Brown-Forman's pre-Prohibition recipe.
Elizabeth McCall leads a tasting of Woodford Reserve whiskeys
Then it was time for a sip of the new malt product. This one was fascinating, y'all. It had a lot of the characteristics of traditional Woodford bourbon, but was somehow lighter. The nose was strong with notes of cherry and almond. The mouthfeel was quite different from any of the other whiskeys we tasted that day; I felt a strong evaporation on the front of my tongue, somewhere between the sweet and salty tasting zones. I think that the Straight Malt expression will make a really interesting whiskey for mixologists; it will create some unique cocktails!
Mr. Morris made the very important distinction that this whiskey is not to be considered in the class of single malt Scotch whiskeys, but rather it is an experimental expression of American whiskey. Elizabeth led us through the tasting notes, as you can see in the video below.
Elizabeth and I also had a chance to chat about some of our favorite Draper James pieces. She was featured on the brand's Love, Reese blog as part of the Real Women, Real Clothes series, and partnered with Draper James on her Derby Week looks. How perfect is that partnership? We posed for a #draperjamesgirl photo as the event wrapped up.
Draper James Girls at the track. Shop Elizabeth's dress and my dress. (My fascinator is c/o Off Broadway Shoes and my necklace is from Elva Fields.)
Thanks so much to Woodford Reserve for an amazingly relaxing and educational Derby Week event! Cheers, y'all!
So, What Do You Wear to a Barre Class?
Finding the perfect outfit to maximize barre fitness class results!
It's B.Fit February here at HerKentucky. I'm rehabbing a back injury with lots of help from the amazing team at B.You Fitness. I've also teamed up with B.You to let y'all know a little more about barre fitness classes and their amazing results. Last week, we did a basic rundown of the exercises you could expect to do in a barre class. Today, we'll discuss what to wear.
So, here's the biggest difference between barre class and any other class you've attended: you'll need special socks. Of course, you wear trainers to most "traditional" fitness classes and bare feet to yoga or Pilates. The poses you'll do in barre class require special, non-skid socks which are available for purchase at the studio. It works well to wear slip-on shoes (Ugg-style boots work well!) to make things easier.
As for clothing, you'll want to go with leggings, tank tops, or other close-fitting exercise garments. These allow a free range of movement and give your instructors a better idea of your form so they can easily make arrangements. B.You has a wide selection of clothing available for sale in each of their studios, and they can help you find a great workout outfit!
Of course, don't forget that you'll be inverted at times and moving around a lot, so you'll probably want to grab a hairband or ponytail holder to keep your hair pulled back.
Finally, remember to hydrate! Bring a water bottle with you to class; I promise you'll need it!!
Please join me throughout as I embark on a journey of fitness at b.you. I'll be posting every Monday to let you know how the classes are going, and you can keep up along the way on HerKentucky's Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Follow b.you on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram as well!
I hope to see y'all at b.you soon! They have two convenient locations here in Louisville: one in St. Matthews and one in Springhurst!
{This post is brought to you by b.you Fitness!}
The HerKentucky Guide to Speakeasy Louisville: The Hot Brown
The Jazz Age roots of Louisville's most famous sandwich.
Welcome to the second installment of the HerKentucky Guide to Speakeasy Louisville! On Thursdays throughout the fall, we'll travel back to the Jazz Age in the Derby City, when the nation's Prohibition laws didn't quench the collective thirst for Kentucky Bourbon. We'll channel our inner Daisy Buchanans and dance the Charleston at Louisville's finest establishments. And, of course, we'll take a sip or two of the native drink that kept the city's spirits high. Today, we'll visit the Brown Hotel for one of those famous open-faced sandwiches that fueled the era!
The Brown Hotel's opening day, October 1923. Image courtesy Brown Hotel.
In 1923, when Louisville businessman J. Graham Brown opened his eponymous hotel at 4th and Broadway, Louisville was a bustling city of 235,000 people. With its ornate English Renaissance design, the Brown Hotel immediately became synonymous with luxury, opulence and excess. This was especially true in the Crystal Ballroom, where the city received Queen Marie of Romania.
Queen Marie of Romania in the Brown Hotel's Crystal Ballroom. Image courtesy Brown Hotel.
The Crystal Ballroom was known in this era for its lavish nightlife; crowds of around 1,200 people were common in the new hotel as party-goers enjoyed the Brown Hotel's dinner dances. (And, despite the Prohibition laws of the era, likely a little Kentucky bourbon to keep their spirits high!)
Crystal Ballroom, Brown Hotel.
All that dancing (and, perhaps, imbibing...) worked up quite an appetite. So, the Brown's chef, Fred Schmidt, came up with a hot, open-faced sandwich to be as a midnight meal, as his customers were beginning to tire of the standard ham and eggs fare.. The result was the Hot Brown -- perhaps the most iconic staple of Louisville cuisine -- a sandwich made of turkey, bacon, mornay sauce and toast points and garnished with tomatoes and parsley and served piping hot.
Image courtesy Brown Hotel.
Brown Hotel Executive Chef Josh Bettis recently took me on a tour of the Brown's kitchens. As we talked about food, history, and Louisville, he assured me that the recipe hasn't changed at all since Chef Schmidt first made it for his Jazz Age patrons. After all, it's a quintessentially Kentucky dish that often winds up on people's culinary bucket list. And, with the perfect mix of sweet, tangy, rich, and salty that the Hot Brown delivers, why mess with perfection?
Thanks so much to Chef Josh Bettis and the Brown hotel for their assistance, and for continuing the tradition of the very best sandwich in the entire Commonwealth!
The Wisdom of Dr. Gonzo
Today is the anniversary of Hunter S. Thompson's birth.
In honor of the weird and often wonderful writer and Louisville native, here are a few of my favorite nuggets of his Gonzo wisdom.
- Good news is rare these days, and every glittering ounce of it should be cherished and hoarded and worshipped and fondled like a priceless diamond.
- The writer must be a participant in the scene... like a film director who writes his own scripts, does his own camera work, and somehow manages to film himself in action, as the protagonist or at least the main character.
- Democracy as a system has evolved into something that Thomas Jefferson didn't anticipate.
- As long as I'm learning something, I figure I'm OK - it's a decent day.
Have a weird, wild, and wonderful weekend, y'all. It's what Dr. Thompson would do.